Thank you See. Now I must think of something creative to do.

Ah, The Great See. Sees all, knows all...

Just another day at the ranch. I made a steak on the grill but the wife never showed up home. She decided to stop to get a haircut - without telling me. Naturally I'm worried - if you saw her driving you'd understand. I sent her a text and finally got a response.
One of the few times I have dinner ready to plate when she comes home and she's a no show... It was good too. She can warm it up if she wants...

Looks like good weather this week, and I saw on the news the weirdness going on down your way vet. I heard the death toll from the earthquake is up around 4k now. Probably will be worse. A shame we don't just pull out all our troops from afghanistan and everywhere else and send our people and equipment there. Imagine that.

I'm on hold with Verizon. Satan incarnate. Combined with Apple and I should just hand them a giant razor and let them skin me alive.

It worked out, but I had to be very firm and insistent. I paid for a product they failed to deliver, then they wanted to refund me 25% of what I had paid. When I said why don't you just send me the damn thing and call it good it just made too much sense, so they had to put me on hold and get it approved. Hopefully, I'll have the damn thing by Friday.

In the meantime, my job is a joke, but at least it's a mostly tolerable and even enjoyable joke. I'm grateful I'm getting paid for being a joke. I could be better utilized, but hey, if they want my brain to go to mush who am I to argue, what with a mush brain and all...

Don't overthink it. That's my new motto. Catheters and early dementia. Yipyaw.

:c004:[QUOTE=zerothehero;5343616]It worked out, but I had to be very firm and insistent. I paid for a product they failed to deliver, then they wanted to refund me 25% of what I had paid. When I said why don't you just send me the damn thing and call it good it just made too much sense, so they had to put me on hold and get it approved. Hopefully, I'll have the damn thing by Friday.

In the meantime, my job is a joke, but at least it's a mostly tolerable and even enjoyable joke. I'm grateful I'm getting paid for being a joke. I could be better utilized, but hey, if they want my brain to go to mush who am I to argue, what with a mush brain and all...

Don't overthink it. That's my new motto. Catheters and early dementia. Yipyaw.[/QUOTE
Hopefully we'll have a good sober dap. I have to spend my day with K Street mob in DC. If anything will make you want to drink that will. I won't. Hang in there Zero and Brain.

You guys are hilarious!

The last substance other than alcohol I ingested was New Year's Eve 1999. The comedown was so bad, I've never touched it again. I hallucinated that a creepy dude was whispering in my ear while peeling back the skin of my forearms, followed by the subcutaneous fat, followed by the muscle and ending in the bones just poking out of my arms!!!

I sometimes wonder if I would try ice if it was in front of me. I hope not.

Holy smoke TL. I hope no one ever drops some of that stuff in my tea.

I have a recurring dream of wandering around a foggy airport, trying to remember where I'm going, visiting stranded clusters of friends and family, feeling anxiety building. I realize now that this is really quite a happy dream! No catheters. No creepy dudes. No eyeballs dripping onto the peeling flesh of forearms. Just nasty old Mr. Fog ( though he may be dementia in disguise!) This is a funny little group at times. Good chuckles with morning coffee.

Spring is finally here, with daffodils. Patios are bustling, with their little pockets of roasting garlic and laughter. Nice outdoor human noise. Be still, my winter heart!

well the wife was on the warpath this morning...
wants to know why I don't have a job yet... and she promises she is quitting her job... was not a good morning here...
I already am past my allowed internet usage unless it is job hunt related...

she'll get over it - I already did. ;)

Not familiar with Washington, Vet. What happens on K street?
Hope your day improves, LB.

Auditors and lobbyists. Auditors for us today.

Woo-hoo!

TL's story reminded me of dancing at a Dead show once while people around me were bursting into flames and their flesh was falling off in chunks exposing flaming dancing skeletons. I was too high to be horrified so I just kept dancing. I remember they were playing China Cat at the time. The mind is a terrible thing...

Yo, my sister lives about five miles from Reagan airport. I'll be visiting in early June. Any suggestions?

Tons of museums that are all fascinating in DC proper. If you are interested in aviation history the Uvar Hazey Smithsonian museum is a real treat if you can make it out to Dulles which is a bit of a schlep but well worth it. Security is real tight around the White House but you can still get near it. Secret Service is a bit snippy these days. If I think of other things I'll let you know.

I was in D.C. years ago, but only long enough to visit the consulate and spend an afternoon in the museum of modern art (which I loved). Another time I blew through on Dead tour. Yes, embarrassing but true. I'm sure my sister will have ideas. She used to work on the mall.

I'm really floating at work these days. Kind of hard to explain, but suffice to say I've been doing it too long. The environment is much better than it was in the old building with a different crew, but the work is no different. There is one extremely toxic guy in my office that complains nonstop. He's wants his hands in everything and is very controlling, but complains that he "does everything." I told him once, "Then don't." He doesn't believe others will pick up the slack. I could take some things off his plate but he resists like he doesn't think I'm competent enough. Knock yourself out, then, dude, but quit bitchin' about it, will ya?

How's everyone doing?

My urologist wants to cut me. He says it's not my bladder but a swollen prostate, and the meds that zombify me are doing nothing. So, the good thing is I quit the meds. But...I'm not sure he's correct. What if my prostate isn't really the problem? I also didn't much like his response when I asked him how many times he's done the surgery. He kind of mumbled and then said, "One or two hundred times. It's not rocket science." But he said there is no risk of incontinence and really the only risk is infection. That's not what sources say online. So, for now I'm considering another opinion, quitting the brain-fogging meds, continuing with catheters, and not sure what to do. I also saw a throat doc about the pustule on my tonsil and losing my voice. Answer: meds. Pustule is nothing to worry about, but my throat is sore from acid reflux (though I almost never get heartburn). Hmmm...

Gratitude time, though. After all this probing this year in literally every possible orifice, they haven't found cancer.

Hope y'all are well and just too preoccupied with living the good life to bother with SR for now. Ciao bella...

Jesus H Christ Zero, I'm sorry but I'm laughing at the unbelievable things you are going through.
It reminded me of an instructor once giving me and a couple other guys a punishment assignment. And yes, he was an LT in the Nav. Very strict by the book dweeb. I forget why, I think we were late for turning in homework. Yeah, we went to see Beatlemania at Cocoa Beach, stick with that story. Got drunk of course so no homework was done.
So he started from chapter 1 page 18 and 19 problems 26 through 32...
so after a solid five minutes or more of dishing out problems (already up to chapter 16), I think it was calculus or something, I look at the other guys and start to smile. And he keeps going without looking up as we are writing down the assignment and I'm starting to crack up. So far he has given us about 8 hours of 'homework' for the next morning and keeps on going. He looks up and sees me holding back the laugh and says, "What's the matter Brain, did somebody fart or something?" I lost it, I fell down on my knees I was laughing so hard and I was banging on his desk. I kid you not.
My wife just asked me why am I laughing. I'm reliving that moment right now. Will be funny till the day I die.
So after the outburst and laughing fit, all three of us are laughing hysterically at this point, he just yells, "Get out of here. On my desk by 0700."

And while I'm at it, another one with the same LT different subject. I was wearing tropical whites and it was St Patricks day.
I had on green socks, green underwear and an Irish Pub T-shirt with a big green shamrock on it. I am in total violation of uniform. At lunch time coming back from the chow hall we had a downpour. Imagine a soaking wet white shirt wet proudly displaying a green shamrock through the uniform. And the green underwear showing through the pants.
Brain, see me after class. So's I go into the office after class and he starts giving me what for. What was my excuse? I just said, "But it's st paddy's day Sir."
He just put his face in his hands and laughed and told to me to get out of there and change. I lived on the edge... I could have gotten into a lot of trouble for that one.

Hope things get better for you zero. And I agree with getting a second opinion.

yeah I'm for a second opinion too Zero. Best wishes man :)

Have a good weekend guys!
D

Agree on the second opinion, Zero. Though I also understand that Internet-gathered medical analysis should be balanced by people with experience in the field. (My internet searches usually show that I have very little time to live; or fall into one of many pretty serious categories in the DSM.. Which of course, may be true.) You've certainly been through a lot. Many cool insights coming from a 'Zombified' mind, I have to say.

And LB: anything that makes you laugh out loud, or smile widely, adds to quality of life. Isn't there a kind of laughing therapy or exercise? I've seen videos: looks bizarre, but is kind of infectious. I took a short video of my son and grand daughter (2) sitting on a piano bench, having a laugh slam. First one, then the other, trying to outdo one another. Posted it on FB, so many people loved it. Everyone loves a good snorting cackling laugh. Keep it up.

I'm on a rare run of sobriety and am feeling sooo good. My own reflux problems were being aggravated by large daily volumes of wine, which threatened to shut down my throat. Always a bad sign when you have difficulty speaking without coughing. Funny how the desire for survival can over-ride such a seductive habit . Wish me luck.